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How external HDD or SSD (formatted and linked to Airport Extreme WiFi USB port) may work with Time-machine SW well?

My Airport Time capsule (2TB) is aging (e.g. R/W not stable once in a long while) and about 9 years old. To ease my regular backup tasks for Mac and Windows PC, how if I may hook up a few TB HDD or SSD drives up onto Airport Extreme WiFi router so as to make it a NAS disk, such that it can be working with Time Machine SW on the Mac "AND" be a data backup disk for my Windows PC?

MacBook Pro 13″

Posted on Mar 5, 2023 11:58 PM

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Posted on Mar 6, 2023 3:56 AM

Both the Time Capsule and the AirPort Extreme use SMB1 communication protocols to connect to a network.


But.....Microsoft disabled SMB1 in Windows 10.


Unless you have gone against Microsoft's recommendations, your PC cannot communicate with the Time Capsule or a disk connected to the AirPort Extreme.


So, the first question here would be can your PC access the setting and files on the Time Capsule?



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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 6, 2023 3:56 AM in response to mickey.wdken

Both the Time Capsule and the AirPort Extreme use SMB1 communication protocols to connect to a network.


But.....Microsoft disabled SMB1 in Windows 10.


Unless you have gone against Microsoft's recommendations, your PC cannot communicate with the Time Capsule or a disk connected to the AirPort Extreme.


So, the first question here would be can your PC access the setting and files on the Time Capsule?



Mar 6, 2023 1:35 AM in response to mickey.wdken

Did you already check this article and the section "External drive connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac) or AirPort Time Capsule"?

Backup disks you can use with Time Machine - Apple Support


Also take a look at this article:

Types of disks you can use with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support


However, Apple recommends to use the backup media only for the use with TimeMachine and store no other kind of data:

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support



Mar 6, 2023 6:26 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Hi Bob,


Thank you for your guidance in this regard.


I do have Win7, Win10 PCs and Macbook Pro on my desk for different usage purposes. The fact, having been doing so for quite some time, my PCs can access the TCap and its external USB drive plugged on the TCap such that external USB drive can be working as an alternate Time Machine backup drive for Mac "AND" be a data backup disk for my PCs as well, e.g. attached are the screenshots for my Win7 PC backing up its user data files on to the external drive (i.e. hooked up on TCap) and my Win10 PC has been doing the same as well.  Win PCs can share the same one or different GUID partitions with Time Machine once it has been done by Disk Tool properly.


The Shortcomings is that PC's system images cannot be backed up on to TCap external USB drive due to MacOS extended format cannot be compatible with Windows image file format. Whenever needed, the PCs image files must be backing up onto a separate HDD or SSD connecting directly to my PCs.


Having got into your good guidance, it seems to me the chance is there. When time is come, I will try to move that external USB drive to my Airport Extreme base station with ~ 500mA USB2 port. Hopefully, it will not incurring unexpected bomb event with the volume backing data of mine.


How external HDD or SSD (formatted and linked to Airport Extreme WiFi USB port) may work with Time-machine SW well?

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